| Easy
Style Cooking with an Asian Flair
(part
1)
Stir frying without a recipe
by Eleanor Hoh
Eleanor
Hoh takes the traditional Asian, homestyle cooking I learned
from my mother and adapts it to the western contemporary kitchen.
People are constantly asking me for recipes for my stir fry
wok dishes, but recipes are counter to the way I approach
wok cooking. I teach Asian cooking as a PROCESS which I illustrate
with a visual diagram. But some people insist they need recipes
because that’s what they’re used to. I ask them
if they use recipes when they’re making sandwiches.
The point being, once you know the basic characteristics of
your ingredients, for example, leafy versus firm vegetables,
creating your own wok dishes is as easy as making a sandwich.
While stir frying is easy, mistakes are common, even among
those who have been stir frying for years. Here are the three
essential elements for a successful stir fry:
|
•
|
High
Heat -- It’s difficult to achieve
the temperatures required for a good stir fry on a glass
stovetop. I cook on an electric coil at home; a simple
solution for those with glass stovetops is to buy a portable
butane stove. It’s cheap, safe, and sits right on
top of your glasstop surface (it’s also handy if
there’s a power outage). |
|
• |
Fresh
Ingredients -- Once you start cooking
by “smelling, seeing, touching, and tasting,”
your senses will become heightened. Some students have
likened this to the reawakening of their taste buds after
they’ve given up smoking. When you develop a taste
for fresh, flavorful veggies, you’ll no longer settle
for frozen, canned, boiled or veggies steamed to death.
|
|
• |
A
Good Wok -- I use and recommend a round
bottom, cast iron wok, because I find it gives the best
flavor, acts like a natural non-stick surface and it’s
easy to maintain. It’s like the old cast iron skillet
our mothers (and grandmothers) used but it’s light
and easy to handle (I can lift it with one hand). |
Cooking the “Easy Style” way is very liberating,
because you can combine whatever vegetables you like with
your favorite protein (meat, seafood, or poultry). Once you
start cooking this way, recipes will become a source of inspiration
instead of step by step routines. After you’ve acquired
the essential elements - high heat, fresh ingredients, and
a good wok - you’re ready to start frying. In the next
issue, I’ll give you the key points for perfect stir
fry results.
To learn more about “Easy Style Cooking” log onto
www.eleanorhoh.com
|
